Wildcats tie Providence with late goal

Monday

Feb 11, 2013 at 3:15 AM

By Al Pikeapike@fosters.com

DURHAM — The fact they were on the ice with less than four minutes left in regulation, when coaches tend to shorten their bench, was a testament to how well Scott Pavelski and the fourth line were playing Sunday.

The senior center took advantage of the opportunity by scoring the tying goal with 3:26 remaining in the third period as the University of New Hampshire hockey team salvaged a 3-3 result with Providence at the Whittemore Center.

Pavelski converted a centering feed from sophomore Casey Thrush for his third goal of the season and first since before Thanksgiving to keep the Wildcats from going away empty-handed after they squandered a 2-1 lead in the third.

He beat freshman goalie Jon Gillies with a quick shot to the stick side.

“Casey Thrush found me,” Pavelski said. “He said he just felt like somebody was out front waiting and laid it out there. Gillies was off the post waiting for it to come out front. Luckily I had that half of the net.”

UNH’s tie coupled with Merrimack’s 4-2 win over Massachusetts on Sunday left UNH and Merrimack tied for second place in the Hockey East standings, one point behind league-leading Boston College.

Sophomore Grayson Downing had a goal and an assist and freshman Maxim Gaudreault added two assists, including one on Pavelski’s goal, for the fourth-ranked Wildcats, who are 16-7-3 overall and 11-6-2 in Hockey East.

“It was kind of a disappointment,” Pavelski said of the tie. “We’ve been struggling of late. We’re happy with the one point, but you always wish you could get two.”

UNH will meet the Friars (10-10-6, 8-6-5 HE) in Providence on Wednesday night (7) in a game that was postponed from Friday night because of the snowstorm.

Pavelski’s line finished with five points and 12 shots on goal Sunday.

“It just felt like one of those games where the puck was finding you,” Pavelski said. “You didn’t have to go to it. You like those every now and then. After the first period we felt like we were going to get one. We just had to keep pressing and not get frustrated.”

“Any time you can get contributions from the fourth line it’s big,” Downing said. “I think all year we’ve had that. It’s not just the top two lines that are carrying the load offensively.”

Freshman Nick Saracino figured in all three PC goals with two goals and an assist. Both goals came in the third period after freshman Dan Correale staked the Wildcats to a 2-1 lead with a power-play goal 30 seconds into the third period.

Saracino’s goals came at 5:05 and 9:35 of the third. The Friars went 2 for 3 on the power play against the nation’s top penalty killing team. The Wildcats had given up only three power--play goals in 59 chances over its first 18 Hockey East games.

They had to kill a late hooking penalty on Matt Willows that spilled over into overtime.

“That was huge,” Umile said. “Having given up two power-play goals already it wasn’t a comfortable feeling.”

UNH outshot Providence, 44-42. Wildcat goalie Casey DeSmith finished with 39 saves and Gillies made 41, including a fantastic glove stop while lying on his back to rob Kevin Goumas of the potential tying goal with 6:19 to go in the third period.

Goumas collected the rebound of an Eric Knodel slap shot from the point and was poised to put the puck into a mostly empty net when Gillies flashed the leather.

“The guys stayed with it and found a way to get it tied up,” Umile said. “The save (Gillies) made on Goumas, I didn’t think we were ever going to get it by him. It was a great shot by Pavelski to tie up the game.”

Pavelski finished with a game-high six shots on goal, including a couple of early chances that seemed to set the tone for his night.

“Talking to (Dalton) Speelman on the bench we just felt like every shift we had we were getting a shot,” Pavelski said. “That was kind of our goal tonight. We felt we were rolling and playing well. We just wanted to throw something at his feet every time we could. We knew it was going to take a lot of shots to get a couple past him.”

The Wildcats tailed 1-0 after one period, despite outshooting the Friars 17-6. UNH pulled even on Downing’s goal, his 11th of the season to tie Austin Block for the team lead, with 5:08 left in the second period on a one-timer from the high slot set up by Dalton Speelman.

Correale gave UNH its only lead in the opening minute of third when he won a puck battle with PC’s Shane Luke in front of Gillies and scored his second goal of the year.

PC’s Saracino got the next two, including one on the power play, before Pavelski enabled the Wildcats to pick up at least one point at home before they go on the road for their next four games.

“It may end up being an important point,” Umile said. “Now we’ve got to go down there and whoever wins on Wednesday night gets three out of four points. That will be a big weekend.”

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